A Storm In the Dark

Good morning everyone. Jen and I are listening to the sounds of darkness on this stormy morning. The wind is whistling through the cracks in this old barn we live in. The tree tops provide the constant deep drone to the whistles. Our tin roof is the tympani as heavy rain pelts down. On this particular morning I am glad to be snug here in "Winter Harbor". The mooring lines in this harbor are, I am sure, holding tight. The GPS indicates that the house hasn't moved... too much. Visual bearings on the big hemlock in the drive, the oak by the chicken coop, and the southwest corner of the barn confirm that all is well. The watch is never over.

I think this will be an office day as we get ready to send out the fall newsletter. If you have sailed with us recently and you did not get the e-newsletter on Friday we may need an updated email address for you. You can do that by signing in on the subscription form on the lower right hand corner of the home page.Or it may be in the junk folder (no surprise there). Jen is attending a Wilderness First Responder course in Camden this week. She has been studying like crazy to refresh all of that information. It seems to take me a lot more effort to get knowledge in through the cracks and what gets stuffed in one side often forces something else out the other, much like this barn we live in. Jen studies hard because that is who she is. Colby sits nestled between us with her head on Jen's lap because that is who she is . And I sit here content that there is deer meat in the freezer, firewood in the shed and images from last summer flood my brain with warmth and light to carry me through the long darkness ahead.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Hail Mary

My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...

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A Golden Windjammer Anniversary

Happy Birthday Mary Day! 50 years ago today Mary Day slid out of the shed at the Harvey F. Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine marking the beginning of a whole new chapter in the history of the windjammer fleet. The Gamage yard had not launched a schooner since 1933 and Mary Day was the first commercial coasting schooner launched since 1938. That also makes her the first commercial coasting schooner launched in the second half of the 20th century and the first schooner ever launched for the windjammer passenger trade. There may be a few more firsts in there but that doesn't really matter. What is most important about this celebration is the fact that Mary Day was launched today and began her career touching the lives of thousands of people. This schooner was built by people, for people and has never done anything else but bring joy to peoples lives. She has become a legendary windjammer here along the Maine coast as part of the largest fleet of commercial coasting schooners...

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